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GANDHIJI Written By: Jugatram Dave Translated by: Jyoti Verma First Published : October 2012 Price: Rs. 15/- Published by: Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal – Gandhi Book Centre 299 Tardeo Road, Nana Chowk, Mumbai 400007 Tel. +91-22-23872061 Email: [email protected] Website: www.mkgandhi.org Printed by: Navajivan Publishing House Ahmedabad 380 014 (INDIA) Phone: +91-79-27540635/27542634 Fax: +91-79-27541329 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.navajivantrust.org GANDHIJI PUBLISHER’S NOTE The Gujarat Vidyapeeth has been organising an exam on Gandhi every year on the day of Gandhi Jayanti. The book ‘Gandhi Bapu’ by Kudasia Jaidi is being used as a text book in these exams right from the beginning for the students of Std. 5 to 7. In addition, it is decided to add as a text book the other book, ‘Gandhiji’ (originally in Gujarati) by Late. Shri. Jugatram Dave which describes the incidents of Gandhiji’s life. The first edition of this book was published in 1929. About four lac copies of the same have been sold till now. The English version of this book is a special edition available at a subsidized price, used for this exam. Five poems, expressing the life and work of Gandhiji are given at the end of this book with the thought that it may be useful to create better understanding of Gandhiji’s personality. The students attending the exam could memorise them by heart. www.mkgandhi.org Page 2 GANDHIJI 1. HOME - TOWN? Which is Gandhiji's home- town? Porbunder will immediately say, "I am! He was born here!" The Phoenix and Tolstoy Ashram abroad will say, "Why do you forget, it was here that he was truly 'born'?" Ahmedabad will say, "But he did build his Ashram on my river banks!" Pune will also try to take the credit, "Don't you forget that he was kept in my Yerawada jail." The farmers from Bihar would exclaim, "Whatever you may claim, but he truly belonged to us. Do you know how much he liked to wander in our indigo fields?" At this Punjab will come forward roaring, "Who can deny that my..Jallianwala Baug was the one, which kindled the fire within him?" Kolkata would say, "But it was this place from where he began his non-cooperation movement!" Mumbai would retort, "Didn't he choose me to begin Satyagraha?" Bardoli will come forward and say, "Will anyone listen to me? Didn't he begin his fight on my soil?" Delhi thinks that Gandhiji belongs to her because he spent twenty-one days of his fast there. Belgaum thinks that it has more right to own Gandhiji than any other place. Wasn't Gandhiji honoured with chairmanship at the National Convention here? Himalaya, the king of mountains, is laughing at this. "Who can explain things to them? Can these innocent people understand what Gandhiji really longed for?" Blessed is the tiny place Segaon! No one knew the name of this village, situated in Central India! It never tried to possess him. Neither did it complain nor make any demand. Yet Gandhiji favoured it. www.mkgandhi.org Page 3 GANDHIJI 2. CASTE Gandhiji was Modh-waniya (Baniya) by caste. But what did he himself say about it? Once government filed a case against him for sedition. The case was tried in Ahmedabad court. The judge was sure to ask his name! "What is your name?" "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi." "Which is your home town?" "Satyagraha Ashram, Sabarmati." "What is your occupation?" "Weaving and farming." The judge was astonished with this reply. Even the people there were stunned. www.mkgandhi.org Page 4 GANDHIJI 3. PUTLIBAI Gandhiji's mother's name was Putlibai. She was a true devotee of God. She would not have food until she finished her puja (prayer) rituals. She would go to the temple regularly. She would strictly keep fast on Ekadashi (Eleventh day of the lunar month). Having meals only once a day was child's play for her. During the sacred four- month's period (chaturmas) she used to pray devoutly and observe all rituals. During this period she used to be so strict that she would take meals only after she saw and prayed the Sun. No wonder that the children loved such a religious mother. The children would watch for the Sun to shine through the clouds. They would run in to inform their mother the moment they saw the Sun come out of the clouds. "Come, mother, come quickly and see the Sun." Sometimes the Sun would disappear before she could come. Then she would have to go without food for the day. But the mother was a rightous devotee and she would never leave the rituals halfway because of illness or any other reason. Gandhiji's mother was such a pious and self-respecting person. www.mkgandhi.org Page 5 GANDHIJI 4. BA (KASTURBA) Many of you might have seen Bapu but a lot of people have hardly seen Kasturba. "Ba" never behaved as if she was a very great person. She never sat on Bapu's seat to meet the people. No! She would be busy doing something or making rotis in the kitchen or preparing a meal for Gandhiji or else nursing a patient. If Gandhiji took ill it was Ba's duty to look after him and comfort him by pressing his forehead softly. She was seen on such occasions only. She was not a person who would deliver a lecture which Bapu was supposed to do.. She used to sit among the ladies and nobody would notice her or else she would stay at home and get busy with her work. Ba did not try to be 'great' in other's eyes. She loved only one thing - to follow in Bapu's footsteps and care for him. Sita sacrificed the luxurious life to follow Ram during exile. Similarly, Ba also left behind the comforts of life and started living in the Ashram with Bapu. Ba was a truly sacred soul. She was an embodiment of Sati. www.mkgandhi.org Page 6 GANDHIJI 5. TEST Gandhiji must have been in second or third grade and was trying to learn English. Once an education officer came to inspect the school and asked the students to write five English words each. The class teacher was keeping an eye on them. His heart was beating rapidly, fearing that the students might make mistakes. If it happened so, the teacher was to be blamed. The officer would blame the teacher for not doing his duty properly. Mohandas had miss-spelt the word 'kettle'. The teacher saw it but what could he do? Slowly he went to him and tapped on Mohandas' foot with his shoe. Then he signaled him to copy the student sitting next to him. Mohandas did not know how to copy. He would not even dream of cheating. So he could not understand that the teacher was actually asking him to be dishonest and copy from another student's paper. The teacher scolded him the next day and said, "You are such a fool! You didn't even get the clue!" Gandhiji didn't say anything to the teacher but he was sure that it was not a good advice to be followed because it was leading to untruth. www.mkgandhi.org Page 7 GANDHIJI 6. TRUTH Gandhiji loved to be truthful since he was a child. He has written how he moved in the company of bad boys for a few days. Those boys had a habit of eating snacks at a vender's shop and smoking. Since they could not ask their parents to give money for such a thing, they started stealing it from the servants' pockets. Mohan would feel suffocated due to this, but when he saw those friends he would be tempted to smoke. As the time went by they had piled a lot of debt at the vender's shop. The shop- keeper would demand his money time and again; it was a difficult situation. They worried about his demanding the money in front of people or that he would come home to take it from their parents. The money stolen from the servant's pockets used to be very little and the debt was big enough. What to do now? So the group was worried. Gandhiji's elder brother was also there in the group. Then he thought of stealing to escape from this situation. He said, "I have a gold bracelet in my hand. If we take some gold out of it, we would be able to pay the debt and nobody would know!" This idea made Mohan uneasy but he dared not speak against it. He let them cut a piece out of it. The debt was paid but how could a truth loving person have peace of mind? He thought, "Alas! I have been a part of this theft! Let the snacks and the cigarettes go to hell!" Again a thought came to his mind, "Oh God! I have even deceived my father!" Uneasy as he was he could neither eat properly nor do any work! He felt guilty. At last he decided to go to his father and confess the misdeed. He thought, "I will face his anger and even take the beating if he does so." But he dared not speak to his father. So Gandhiji wrote a letter to him confessing everything and asked to be forgiven. He handed it over to his father www.mkgandhi.org Page 8 GANDHIJI with tearful eyes and trembling hands.